Siege of Dejagore
The Siege of Dejagore was a major event of the Shadowmaster wars and a historic crucible for many members of the Black Company. Eyewitness accounts were written into the Annals by Lady who was outside the city (Dreams of Steel), and by Murgen who was trapped within it (his flashbacks in Bleak Seasons). The months-long siege began immediately after the 2-day Battle of Dejagore. Although a wide variety of actors with varying goals participated in the siege, the event can be summarized as follows: Shadowspinner and his armies of Shadowlanders laid siege to the city of Dejagore, which contained the following major groups: the Jaicuri (natives of the city); the Black Company (splintered into two rival factions: the Old Crew and the Nar); the Taglian armies commanded by the Company; and a large collection of Nyueng Bao De Duang pilgrims. The Jaicuri, the civilians of the city, suffered immensely from combat fatalities, disease, and looting. Also during this siege, the Nyueng Bao pilgrims (initially numbering roughly 1,800 people) were reduced to just over 600 individuals, about one-third of their previous population. Preceding events The siege was preceded by the Battle of Dejagore. During that battle, the Black Company and the Taglian forces they commanded: briefly liberated the city (called "Stormgard" by its occupiers) from the Shadowlands; killed Stormshadow, one of the four Shadowmasters; and defeated another Shadowmaster, Moonshadow. However, after a relief force led by Shadowspinner maneuvered outside the city walls, the Company and the Taglians were defeated. Most Company members, including Mogaba, his Nar followers, Murgen, One-Eye, and Goblin retreated behind the walls and were trapped. Croaker, the Company Captain and the appointed commander ("Liberator") of the Taglians, was thought to have been killed on the battlefield (but in actuality he was abducted by Soulcatcher and Frogface). Lady, the Company Lieutenant (second-in-command) was separated from the rest of the Company as well, and would independently try to lift the siege from the outside. The siege After fending off many sorties led personally by Mogaba, Shadowspinner flooded the city, causing widespread suffering and death due to disease. Meanwhile, as the situation grew increasingly grim within the walls, Mogaba and his loyal Nar warriors perpetrated a cruel occupation of the city during the siege. They looted throughout Dejagore, executed hundreds by hurling them from the walls, and even committed cannibalism of hapless Jaicuri during their secret blood-drinking ceremonies of Kina worship beneath the citadel. Meeting with two Taglian envoys (Ranjalpirindi and Chal Ghanda Ghan), Mogaba struck an alliance with the Prince of Taglios, the Prahbrindrah Drah, to support his claim as the next Captain of the Black Company. The Prince's tribune Pal Subhir led the cohort of Taglians which committed a massacre of the Nyueng Bao. An isolated minority of pilgrims initially numbering roughly 1,800 people, the Nyueng Bao were reduced to just over 600 individuals... about one-third of their previous population. The Old Crew of the Black Company, a separate faction from the Nar, fought back against the Taglians and helped the Path of the Sword warriors among the Nyueng Bao save the remainder of their population. At some point during the siege, the Company sergeant named Big Bucket witnessed a local Jaicuri man (possibly Rafi) raping a young girl. Bucket seized the man, and threw him to his death over the walls. The young victim subsequently gravitated to Bucket as a father figure. (Once the siege was lifted, the girl left what remained of her awful family and departed with the Company. This was Sleepy, who took on the guise of a Shadar boy, and who would later rise to the highest Company rank of Captain.) Lady seizes the Shadowlander army; siege continues Eventually, Lady and a small group of companions infiltrated the Shadowlander camp and killed the enemy general Shadowspinner. They then tricked the Shadowlanders into accepting Lady as their new leader. She ordered them to continue to siege the city, as she already considered Mogaba her enemy, but to treat those who escaped the city with respect. The situation in Dejagore remained critical. The city was flooded, food remained scarce, and disease ran rampant. Lady even reinserted Murgen, who had escaped, and wiped his memory of his time outside the city. One-Eye and Goblin uncovered Lady's actions, and Murgen deeply resented the Old Crew being used as a political pawn against Mogaba. Siege lifted and aftermath The siege was finally lifted when Croaker entered at enormous personal risk, and made a very public gesture of friendship to Mogaba. Mogaba relented, and departed the city with only Khucho and two other Nar following him. The remaining 13 Nar (including Sindawe, Isi, and Ochiba) rejoined the Company. In the subsequent years, the Black Company would eventually achieve victory in the remainder of the Shadowmaster wars. Mogaba survived and became the most infamous traitor in the group's history. All survivors would bear psychological scars from the terrible siege. Several Nyueng Bao swordsmen of the Path of the Sword – deeply indebted to the Old Crew for the rescue of their people from Mogaba's genocide – would become their bodyguards for many years. The most prominent of these was Thai Dei, Murgen's bodyguard. Category:Events Category:Battles Category:Battles of the Shadowmaster wars